Local veterans deserve better health care

The Puget Sound region has a large population of military veterans comprised of those retiring from service and wounded warriors returning from battlefields. It’s a natural exit point for men and women leaving the service.

The Puget Sound region has a large population of military veterans comprised of those retiring from service and wounded warriors returning from battlefields. It’s a natural exit point for men and women leaving the service.

But according to documents uncovered by The Seattle Times, those veterans are receiving lower than average health care. Internal quality reviews conducted by the Department of Veteran Affairs over an 18-month period show that Puget Sound facilities never scored more than two stars out of a possible six.

That’s unacceptable for a region with so many military installations.

Worse, the VA does not disclose the ratings to the public or to Congress, which should now take a special interest aimed at rectifying this poor performance.